Chanel Miller, identified as “Emily Doe” for the past four years in the People v. Turner trial, was found unconscious behind a dumpster being sexually assaulted by Brock Turner. In her victim impact statement she described how after she learned about the details of her vicious assault in an online article, she also learned about her attacker’s swim times.
After being found guilty, the world still waited for justice during Turner’s sentencing: where the maximum sentence was fourteen years. Turner’s father stated that his son had suffered enough, he stated that Turner could no longer enjoy steaks or be an Olympic swimmer because he was too depressed and should not be punished for “20 minutes of action”. Turner himself stated that it wasn’t his fault that he sexually assaulted Miller because they had both been drinking. In the end, he was sentenced to six months of jail time. He only served three months.
When this happened, a wave of emotions washed over the country; anger, confusion, pain, sadness. The judge at the time stated that he sentenced Turner to six months of jail time because “a prison sentence would have a severe impact on [Turner].” Friends, family, and Turner’s defense team rallied behind his athletic prowess, his supposed kindness, and academics as other reasons as to why Turner should not have a harsh sentence.
But here’s the thing: Brock Turner and other perpetrators like him are not athletes who made a mistake, they are just rapists who know how to swim. When you try to rape someone, it doesn’t matter if you’re a nice guy and it doesn’t matter if you or the person you tried to rape was drunk. The second that you forcefully penetrate and humiliate a person who is so drunk they are unconscious, you are nothing more than a rapist. You are not an extraordinary student. You are not a good man. You are not a gentle boy. You are a criminal, a predator, a monster.
They say that calling Turner a rapist could ruin his life without acknowledging that the victim’s life was already ruined. They say that he’s just a kid without acknowledging that the victim was too. They say that it was just 20 minutes of action without acknowledging that those 20 minutes of action changed all the rest of the victim’s years of life. Don’t be afraid of ruining a rapist’s life over a crime they chose to commit. We need to stop making excuses for rapists, they made the choice to ruin someone’s life. Stop apologizing on their behalf. It’s not the alcohol’s fault, it’s not because of what the victim was wearing, it’s not because the victim was sending mixed signals, it is always the rapist’s fault.
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Utah Domestic Violence Link Line: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line: 1-888-421-1100
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